Telephone-phonograph system



March 1950 H. R. VAN DEVENTER 5 L TELEPHONE-PHONOGRAPH SYSTEM Filed July 12, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1% ll: I I 1 Q C 306 4 25 C T HARRY R. VAN DEVENTER IN VEN TOR.

BY ZEMM v5 March 5 H. R. VAN DEVENTER TELEPHONE-PHONOGRAPH SYSTEM Filed July 12, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HARRY R. WN DEVENTER INVENTOR.

BY W Patented Mar. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 21 Claims.

' ing at the telephone.

They also desire to be able to telephone others and leave a number where messages for them will be received.

The so-called message service companies do not, as a rule, handle this class of business and the availability of their services is not generally known tothe public.

The present invention can be practiced using existing telephone equipment commonly found in railway stations and other public places, and makes the special service herein describedreadily avail-able to the public, as it can be brought directly to their notice wherever public telephone pay stations are used. The prospective user can, in a few minutes, make all rental arrangements that will provide him with a telephone number that he can give any one he Wishes to have call him for a designated period the person calling will first receive a message the user has left, and then the calling party can leave a message that will be automatically recordedon a phonograph record which the user can play back upon his return to the rented station.

Several classes of this special service may be rendered, and by way of illustration, these are designated class A and B herein. It will be understood, however, that features disclosed in the drawings and description of one class may be used with another, and that such other variations are contemplated when within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagram of an attendants desk and pay station booths adjacent thereto, which may be used with the system herein disclosed;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a system disclosed herein where the apparatus is operated by an attendant; I

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another sys- 2 tem disclosed herein which requires no attendant at the apparatus;

Figure: 4 is a diagram of a modified form of the hook switch of the sub-set 30 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a diagramof a form of ringer switch. that can be used in sub-set 30 of Figure 3.,

The class A system, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, may be used where an attendant at the desk Ill receives the: public and makes the necessary connections and directs. the users to the booths or compartments I I, l2, 13, any number of which may be used. The telephone instrument l4, l5, I6, in these booths may be ordinary sub-sets where the attendant collects the charges and makes connections, or the subsets may be provided with the usual coin boxes.

It will be understood that the apparatus, Figures 1 and 2, is not in a central oifice, as the ate tendant only handles outgoing calls, or calls that are incoming by reason of calls originating at the telephones here shown. The attendant does; not interconnect lines as does a central ofilce operaton.

Referring. to Figure 2, a plurality of communication circuits such as telephone lines, one ofwhich is shown at IT, terminate on the desk. in and by any suitable means may be connected to any of the sub-sets l4, l5, 1-6, which arethen used in the usual manner. These lines are often, permanently connected to the sub-sets, whose number plates bear the regular directory numbers of these lines. They are almost exclusively used for outgoing calls, and seldom for incoming calls except reverting calls.

A person desiring the special service herein described notifies the attendant, stating for how, long as he wants the service-say from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m.

The attendant then assigns to this person (hereinafter called the renter) a number corresponding to one of the lines, such as II. This may be Main 5100 (sub-set l4) and this becomes that persons telephone number for the period of time aforesaid.

The attendant now, via a plug or key It on desk [I], connects line I 1 to a manually settable time-switch IS, the construction of which is well known and so is not described. This switch, .viacontacts shown in dotted lines, will when operated connected the phonograph 20 to line H, and may 3 also disable the sub-set I4 by operating disconnect relay 2| or by locking door 22, Figure l, of the booth in which sub-set I4 is located by means of the electric lock 23, Figure 2. This prevents the use of this sub-set until 4 p. m. Lock 23 may be of the type where a key can only be turned or withdrawn when the lock is energized, the actual locking of the door being done manually.

The phonograph is generally of the type described in U. S. Patent No. 2,340,147 dated January 25, 1944, and the attendant has made a talk-out record and placed it in the phonograph as described in said patent. This record may have any suitable message thereon, such as "This is Main 5700, the "number givenyou' by Mr. Jonesi'therenter). Mr. Jones will return here at 4 p. m. and will then receive any message you leave. When you hear the signal speak your message clearly and it wilkbe, recorded and Mr. Jones will receive it at 4 p. m.

Of course, any other message can beleft on the phonograph. A suitable fstockf message that can be used with any subset (as it requires no individual preparation) is:

This is Main 5700. No one is here but a recording phonograph will take your message and deliver it to the party who gave you this number. When youhear thesignal, speak your message clearly and it will bBwX'GCOI'df-Jd and delivered when the party returns):

Main 5700 will be connected by-the central office operator in theusual way and the calling subscriberwill receive the. foregoing message and may then speak. This speech will be recorded on a record in thephonograph all as described in. the afores'aidpatent, 1; v 7

During the time 9 a. m. to 4 p. m., the renter may call the attendant, who by key 24 may connect the play-back circuit of phonograph 20 to a telephone line such as'25,-over Which. the renter is calling and play back any messages recorded for him; or, at e p.'m., the renter may come to the attendant who can then play back to him on the spot all of the recorded messages.

At 4 p.- m. thetimer l9 will'operate todisconnect phonograph 2i] and reconnect sub-set M to line I! if it has been previously disconnected therefrom and/or operate lock 23 to unlock the booth door 22, thereby restoring line H and its associated sub-setto normal and make it available for ordinary service. The attendant can removethe receiving record-from phonograph 20 and mail it to the renter if he has so requested, or otherwise dispose of it. 7

By the use of keys or plugs 18 it is not necessary to have a phonograph and its associated equipment for each incoming line such as ll, but only enough phonographs may be used as required by the trafiic. 1 The wires marked C in Figure 2 are common to certain keys (if keys are used such as I8), which any one phonograph is to serve.

It will be observed that once the attendant has set up the apparatus shown in Figure 2, she has nothing to with'recording the incoming calls and nothing to do except keep the renter advised as to messages recorded and deliver the record to the renter if he wants it. The timer l 9 automatically terminates the phonograph service when the rental time has expired and restores the line ll to normal without the attendants operation of key 18 if that should be overlooked.

The recording records. 20 \viththis system may be designed to take practically any number of messages, but in order to use inexpensive throwaway fiat discs 8 to 10" in diameter, which will only take 8 to 10 messages of thirty seconds duration each, it is well to have a warning signal to notify the attendant to put on a new disc when one is about exhausted. This may be accomplished by equipping the recorder arm of the phonograph (or some other part that has a corresponding movement therewith relative to the record) with a contact 21, which when the arm has about reached the end of its travel as occurs when the disc is about fullwill close against contact 28 and thereby cause lamp 2a to be illuminated, thus warning the attendant to put onanew record.

This warning signal, therefore, occurs due to "other part of the phonograph, and occurs at a predeterminedpoint in said movement and after a predetermined number of revolutions of the motor (not shown) driving the phonograph 20 and record 20.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing what may be termed a class B system which can be used where there is no attendant. Here the numeral 30 denotes an ordinary sub-set of any suitable type equippedwith the usual coin box. This subset is normally connected to the telephone line H (L and L via L normally closed back contact 3i of locking relay 32, conductors 33, 34, winding of relay 35 to L Relay 35 may be any suitable type that will not seriously. affect the transmission characteristics'of the sub-set and is also bridged by condenser 36 which affords a ready path for ringing current so that relay 35 will not be operated thereby.

The sub-set 30 is used in the usual manner, and when in use, relay 35 in series therewith and with the line I! in a commonbattery system will open contacts 3'! by reason of current flowing over the line, thereby disabling the phonograph circuits to be presently described, so that the sub-set 30' can. be used for outgoing calls even if the phonographhas been conditioned for 1 service.

A ringing relay 38 is bridged across line ll with condenser 36 in series and this relay will be operated whenever an operator rings on line I7, which-is seldom on pay station lines where most calls are outgoing. The operation of relay 38, however, does not afiect the circuits in any way unless the phonograph timer 39 is op- .erating. From this it .will be seen that sub-set 39 can be used in the usual manner for both incoming and outgoing calls.

The operation of the phonograph apparatus will now be described. This includes a suitable timing device generally indicated by the numeral 39 having the coin slots 40 and coin return chute ll and a dial 42 for indicating the time paid for. This device is of the type wherein, upon depositin a coin or coins,,a movable contact memberof-the timer is thereby set to hold a contact closed for a period of time dependent upon the coin deposited, and to open such contact at the expiration of said time.

Such time switches, or prepay meters, are well known and so they are not here described in detail. Timer 39 closes a circuit between conductors 43 and le for a period of time dependent upon the coins deposited in coin slots 40, say one hour for fifty cents.

A renter desiring the phonograph service first deposits a coin in the coin bog; of'sub-set 30 and calls the operator in the usual way. Upon ascerawe-nae:

The operator advises the renter of the amountto be deposited, and the renter now deposits the necessary amount in the timer 39 say $3.50 for seven hours. The operator receives the signalsas the coins drop in the coin slots 40 as the timer is located adjacent the sub-set 30 and the operator hears the timer coin signals via the transmitter T of the sub-set, the receiver 46 of which is oif the hook.

Should the renter deposit the wrong amount in the timer, the operator, by throwing her refund key, can return the coins deposited via chute 4|, the coin-return mechanism of the timer 39 being connected via circuit 4-1 with the coinreturn mechanism in the sub-set soas to b I operable over line I].

The correct amount having been deposited in the timer, it will be set to connect conductors 43,

44 for a period of seven hours, and at the same time a circuit is completed from conductor 44 to conductor 48 through lock 49 to ground as shown.

The renter is told to remove key 50 from the lock, and he retains this key for play-backpurposes to be presently described. The renter now hangs up receiver 46' and may leave the instrument. He notes the number of the sub-st 30, say Main 5700, and he can use that as his telephone number for the rental period.

The timer contacts being closed, a circuit is set up or enabled from the source of current 5| via conductor 43, contacts of timer 39, conductor 44, contacts 31, conductor 52 (including signal 80), winding 53 of relay 32, conductor 54, and to the normally open contact 55 of relay'38. Relay 32 does not operate as the circuit is at 55.

Now, if a subscriber calls the sub-set 30 and the operator at'the central oflice rings on the line, relay 38 will be operated and close contact 55, momentarily completing the circuit lust set up to contact 55, to ground. Usually machine ringing is used, which has successive ofli and on intervals. During the on intervals, or ringing periods, relay 32 holds both sets of contacts 55 and 56 closed.

When contact 56 closes, a circuit is completed from the energy source 5i v'ia conductor 44 through phonograph motor 51 and via conductors 63' and 58 to ground at 55. This operates" motor 5! momentarily during each ringing period.

As motor 51 operates, it revolves shaft 59 (indicated diagrammatically in Figure '3' as a dotted line) which revolves the grounded timer disc '60. At the beginning of the cycle, the insulated sector 6! of this disc is immediately below the contact member 52 which is therefor out of electricalcontact with the disc. As the motor revolves, the disc 60 is revolved thereby in the direction of the arrow. The sector 6| may be of such dimensions that, say, 6 ringing impulses on relay 38 are-necessary to cumulatively operate the motor 51 sufficiently to move the sector 6i anticlockwise below the member 62 sufficiently to permit said memher to contact disc 50, whereupon a direct circuit independent of relay 38- is. established. through the motor 51 as follows:

From current source 51 via conductor", contacts in timer 39, conductor 44, motor 51, conductor 63, conductor 64, conductor 65, contact 62, disc 60 to ground. Motor 51 will now operate continuously until the disct'fl revolves to bring open 6 sector O l thereon under contact 82% thereby -:opening the circuit and disconnecting motonw Now, as heretofore'described, a circuit has-been set up through relay izi'to contacts 55 onrelay 38 so when: the. latter relay closes winding 5-1 on. relay 32 is. energized and 3-2: operatesn This operation is only momentary and followsthe. open... ing and closing at contacts 55 on relay .38 our-- ing each ringing cycle until the contactilzis on disc 60: whereupon relay 3!. is-locked closed by reason of a circuit which can betracedefrom, thesourcefl to conductor 4'3, contactsin timer 39*,--conductor 44, contacts 31 on relay-.35, con-- ductor 52 (including signal l3r1ockingi winding;

5.5 011 relay 32,. contact 61, conductor 84, conductor 65, contact 62 and timer disc 50 to grolmdu While relay 32-. is locked clbsezzl,v contacts 3|; thereon are opened, thereby disconnecting the: sub-- set. 30 from circuit i1 while the phonograph-is in operation and contact to is closed thereby connecting winding 68" of repeating coil GS-via: conductors l0 and H across the telephone I 1'. This will extinguish the operatorssu-pervis ory signal so she will know the call: is answered;

and will give the disconnect sign-alwhen relay:

32 opens its contacts as hereinaiterdescribed, which occurs when the phonograph completes its; cycle of operations.

As motor 51 and shaft to driventhereby 'revolve, the timing disc 12 driven in proper timed relation thereby connects windings I31of re-- peatingcoil 69 to the reprodueer 14 and amplifier and control unit 15, and this reproducer inv contact wth record. 16 will reproduce any message left on said record. such as the message in autumn.

3 hereof, whichtalk-out"' record will. be heard by the calling subscriber via said coil69.

Upon. the completionuoi the delivery of the talk-out record, the reproducer M is disconnected from the repeating coil circuitby the operationof disc I 2 and the recorder or cutter head It and the amplifier and" control unit I5 :is' connected thereto by'the operation: of disc IBLwhichoperates same as disc: 12 just described, to connect-the recorder T! to record blank 19. ,fortheduration.

of this recording period .whi'ch'may be or predetermined duration and during which the calling subscriber, by speaking: intohis telephone,

may record any" desired message on record [9.

At the termination of the recording period, the. sector 61: ontime disc 60 has reachedapo'sition whereit opens the circuit by removingthe ground on conductors 641,165. This opens the. circuits through motor 5:! andi-loeldngwmdm 525 on relay; The motor stopssand the relay opens its c'ontactsan'd contact 3lthereof. is restored,

thus reconnecting the sub-set 30' .to theitelephone,

line circuit i1 ready foruse' and giving thee-entral ofllce operator the usual: :disconnectxsignal; The operations just described will berepeated as often as an operator rings, on the line a sumcient number of. times to operate the disc "60 sufllcientl to operate the control at 62,, as long as the contacts in. timer '39 are closed, andv any.- incoming messages will be recorded on the rec- 0rd blank: 19 of thenphonograph. 1

Shouldsomeone wishto use thesub-setdm while the phonograph is in operation delivering anon-18s..

7'; sub-set coin box,;but.if. such. coins are deposited, they will pass throughqthe set to be returned at with some types of coin boxes.

Should someone use the sub-set 3|! while the phonograph is not inoperation delivering or recording messages, they can do so in the usual manner. If, while the line is so in use, a calling subscriber should want tocall to use the phonograph. the line .would be busy to him in the usualmanner and he could. call later. Therefore, the'attachment of the phonograph to the line." does not affect the'normal operative procedure; nor does it tie up the use of the telephone line H for outgoing messages while the phonograph .is operatively connected thereto via the timer 39. I

Should some user of the sub-set 30 make a call and be told to wait at the telephone to be called back, he will, of course, answer the reverting call immediately. Being "right at the sub-set 39, he answers assoon as he hears the bell. This operates relay 35 which via its contacts 31 opens the current supply via conductor .52 to relay 32 so that it is not operated by relay 38 and cannot lock its self. This occurs before the timer disc 60 has revolved sufficiently to establish the circuit between it and contact 62. The user therefore has control of the sub-set 39 and can answer an incoming call before the-phonograph goes into operation and prevents said'operation until he has finished his connection. The sub-set 30 can therefore be used for both incoming and outgoing calls while the timer 39 is in closed circuit posi-'-- tion. Yet the renter of the phonograph service is assured a telephone at which messages for him will be received during the time for which he haspaid.

The renter must return to the installation to get the messages recorded on record 19 before the expiration of the time for which he has paid.

He now returns key 50 to lock 49 from which it cannot be removed unless another deposit is made in the timer coin'box. .If such deposit is made,

then the following play-back operation can be carried out,-the key removedand the timer will continue .to operate for the extended time covered by the additional sum deposited. If no additional deposit is made, the key. remains in the lock. In either event the play-back is accomplished as follows:

The renter unlocks the case of the timer 39 andv finds inside the push button- 8! which when pressed grounds the conductor 58 thereby completing a circuit through motor 51. The motor now starts. The button also via conductor 82 completes a circuit to a switching device in amplifier unit- 15 which connects the reproducer 83 on record 19 to the loud speaker 84 through which.

No attempt has been made to describe the.

phonograph and timer mechanisms in detail as their construction can be-varied' within wide limits. Only the sequential functioning haszbeen described inorder to illustrate the operation of the circuits-herein:

Such sequentially- ,operating phonographs wherein a talk-out message is first delivered, then a recording made, and wherein one or more of said recordings can be played back, are described in the U. S. patent heretofore mentioned.

Coin controlled timers such as 39 are in common use with prepay electric and gas meters and time switches.

Locks, such as 49, in which the keys 50 are held for release upon the deposit of a coin and which, when said keyis replaced it is retained in the lock, are in common use.

Nor, have the coin boxes in sub-set 30 and the timer 39 and their coin-return features been described, as' the construction of these are well known.

The current source 5| maybe either local batteries; current supplied via a trunk from the central oflice or any other suitable source of operating current. This also applies to the current source connected at 8,5 to the amplifier and control unit 15. This would usually be v., 60 cycle, A. C.

It is assumed that the line [1, Figure 3, is connected to a common battery exchange. This is necessary for the operation of relay 35. If the line I! terminates in a magneto exchange, then, referring ,to Figure 4, the hook switch 86 of subset 30 is equipped with a pair of contacts 81 which open whenthe receiver 49 is off the hook and operate in exactly the same manner as the contacts 31 of relay 35 with common battery.

Instead of the relay 38, the ringer (not shown) of sub-set 30 may be equipped with contacts 56 The, operation of such a ringer is described in U. S. Patent No. 2,332,359, dated October 19, 1943, particularly Figures 4 and 5 thereof, and these contacts are connected as. shown in Figure 5 hereof. The operation of these contacts is the same as described in connection with Figure 3, and as will-be apparent from a study of this patent when the ringer, striker arm S, Figure 5, of sub-set 30, operates, these contacts will be closed, the ringer performing the function of ,relay 38 as herein described.

While grounds? are shownin the circuit diagrams, it will be understood these are merely diagrammatic in order to avoid the complication of showing full metallic circuits. No grounds are necessary in practice, except in some systems in connection with coin return, which circuits form no partiof theipresent invention except to the extent indicated.

What is claimed is:,

l. The combination of atelephone, a recording phonograph, a line circuit and a manually settable time switch connected to said circuit and said phonograph, said, switch including contact members adapted to directly connect and disconnect same whereby said phonograph may record messages received via said line circuit, said switch being settable to operate at any desirable time interval.

2. The combination of a compartment having a door and locking means therefor, a telephone instrument in said compartment and adapted to 3. The combination of aeompartn ent having a door and locking means therefor, telephone instrument in said compartment, a line circuit, a phonograph, means including a time switch for connecting said phonograph tosaid circuit and operating said locking meanswhen said phonograph isso connected, and means controlled by said time switch for connecting and disconnecting said telephone instrument and line circuit.

4. The combination of a telephone instrument, a line circuit normally connected to said telephone instrument, a phonograph, means including a time switch for connecting said phonograph to said line circuit, and means controlled by said time switch for disconnecting said telephone from said line circuit while said phonograph is connected thereto.

5. A phonograph including a record and means for recording sound thereon including a motor, a communication circuit, means connected to said circuit and operable by current flowing therein for controlling said motor, and signalling means adapted to give a visual signal at said phonograph controlled by the relative movement of said record and recording means and operable by a predetermined number of revolutions of said motor.

6. The combination with a line circuit of a telephone instrument and a recording phonograph and means including a manually settable time switch including contacts physically connected to said circuit for alternately connecting said telephone instrument and phonograph to said circuit.

'7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 including manually operable switching means serially included in circuit with the line circuit and the time switch.

8. The combination with a line circuit of a recording phonograph and a manually settable time switch for connecting said circuit and phonograph for predetermined intervals, said switch being settable to operate at any desired time interval.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 8 including a manually operable switching means s-erially included in circuit with the line circuit and the time switch.

10. Apparatus to render the herein described service including in combination, an attendants desk or station, a plurality of sub-sets, a plurality of line circuits connected to some of said subsets, a phonograph, a time switch connected to said phonograph and adapted to be manually set to function for a predetermined period, and switching means on said attendants desk for connecting some of said line circuits and said sub-sets to said phonograph via said time switch to record a message over said line circuit, the duration of said connection being controlled by said switch.

11. The combination as claimed in claim 10 including means controlled by said time switch for disconnecting any sub-set that may be connected to the same line circuit as the time switch for the period that said phonograph is connected to said line circuit.

12. The combination as claimed in claim 10 including a play-back circuit connected to the phonograph and switching means on said attendants desk whereby said play-back circuit may be connected to some of said line circuits.

13. In combination with a line circuit, a phonograph, means for connecting said phonograph to said line circuit including a device responsive to current flowing in said line circuit, means for 10' disconnecting said phonograph from said circuit, and a time switch connected tosaid phonograph to limit the duration of its connection to said circuit independently of said last means.

14. In combination with a line circuit, a subset normally connected thereto, a phonograph, means for connecting said phonograph to said line circuit including a device. responsive to current flowing in said line circuit, means for'disconnecting said phonograph from said circuit, a time switch connected to said phonograph to limit the duration of its connection to said circuit independently of said last means, and means for disconnecting said sub-set from saidline circuit while said phonograph is in operation.

15. In combination, a line circuit, a sub-set normally connected thereto, a phonograph, means for connecting said phonograph to said line circuit including a device responsive to current flowing in said line circuit, and a time switch including drop-coin signals located adjacent said sub-set whereby said coin signals may be transmitted over said sub-set, said switch being connected to said phonograph to limit the duration of its connection to said circuit.

16. In combination a line circuit, a sub-set normally connected thereto, a phonograph, means for connecting said phonograph to said line circuit including a device responsive to current flowing in said line circuit, a time switch including drop-coin signals located adjacent said subset whereby said coin signals may be transmitted over said sub-set, said switch being connected to said phonograph to limit the duration of its connection to said circuit, a casing, a lock for said casing including a key removable upon the energization of said time switch, a switch device within said casing and play-back mechanism associated with said phonograph and controlled by said last switch device.

17. In combination, a line circuit, a sub-set including a coin box adapted to produce signals as coins are dropped therein normally connected to said line circuit, a phonograph, a time switch including a coin box adapted to produce signals as coins are dropped therein, means for connecting said phonograph to said line circuit, means for disconnecting said phonograph from said line circuit, both said means being controlled by said switch.

18. In combination, a line circuit, a sub-set including a coin box adapted to produce signals as coins are dropped therein normally connected to said line circuit, a phonograph, a time switch including a coin box adapted to produce signals as coins are dropped therein, means for connecting said phonograph to said line circuit, means for disconnecting said phonograph from said line circuit, both said means being controlled by said switch, said sub-set being adapted to transmit signals produced by said time switch coin signals to said line circuit.

19. In an apparatus of the class described, a line circuit, a sub-set normally connected thereto, a recording phonograph, means including a timeswitch for connecting said phonograph to said line circuit, and signal means controlled by said means and adapted to be displayed when said phonograph is in operation to notify prospective users of the sub-set that the line circuit is in use.

20. The combination as claimed in claim 19.

including means operable when the sub-set is in use to disable the phonograph and said signal;

21. The combination as claimed in claim 19 including means operable when the phonograph is in use and controlled thereby to disable the sub-set.

HARRY R. VAN DEVENTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number Name Date Thorton Feb. 2, 1932 Richey Feb. 14, 1933 Thompson May 5, 1942 Van Deventer Mar. 16, 1943 Haigh et a1 Apr. 13, 1943 Van Deventer June 8, 1943 Owens Dec. 28, 1943 Van Deventer Jan. 25, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland Sept. 16, 1935 

